Open For Business

In this episode, we sit down with Peter Vesterbacka, the visionary entrepreneur best known for his role in turning Angry Birds into a global phenomenon during his time at Rovio Entertainment. Beyond gaming, Peter has been a key figure in the startup and education ecosystems, driving innovation and future-thinking in a variety of fields. We explore his journey from building one of the most recognisable mobile games to his current ventures, and gain insight into his thoughts on the future of technology, entrepreneurship, and education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a pregnancy craving to a multi-million ringgit business, in this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Rosli Manaf, Co-Founder of Homebaker@Clover, to explore the journey of building a successful bakery chain specialising in cinnamon rolls.Rosli shares how this passion project grew into a thriving business with 11 outlets across the Klang Valley, the challenges of scaling in the ever competitive and complex F&B market, and his ambition to make Homebaker@Clover the Krispy Kreme of cinnamon rolls.Tune in to learn:- The transition from a corporate career in IT and telecommunications to starting an artisanal bakery.- How focusing on cinnamon rolls helped Homebaker@Clover stand out.- The challenges, mistakes and lessons learnt of scaling a food business while maintaining quality.- Future growth plans, including franchising and potential international expansion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open For Business, we speak to Cindy Woon, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Belly Happy, a business offering a range of snacks, homemade drinks, and ready-to-eat meals.Cindy shares how she left her corporate job to pursue her entrepreneurial journey, the early challenges of starting Belly Happy, and how the business has grown from bazaars to partnerships with hotels.Tune in to learn:- Why Cindy made the shift from a corporate career to starting her own business.- How Belly Happy sources and develops its range of snacks.- The strategies Cindy is using to expand into new markets and grow the business.- Her plans for the future and what’s next for Belly Happy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show, we speak with Ilyas Alsagoff, Co-Founder and Director at Sugar and I, a local bakery outlet that sells homemade desserts and are famously known for their bomboloni.Founded in 2013 by Ilyas and his sister, Sharifah Nur Ilisa, Sugar and I began when the siblings started baking brownies for their parents with a heartwarming mission: to bring joy through baking. 9 years later, their passion for baking has now become a growing business, with over 10 products on the menu, custom-made cake and cookie services and TTDI being their fifth store outlet as of today.With that in mind, we speak with Ilyas on the journey the siblings took from baking brownies for their parents to selling bomboloni across multiple stores in KL, the challenges faced by the business in a very tough and competitive F&B industry as well as their foreseeable expansion plans moving forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open For Business, we delve into the story of Katch, a platform aiming to simplify the health, fitness, and wellness industries by integrating booking management and other backend processes with platform services (think ClassPass), and marketing. We explore how Katch is trying to address the sector's challenges like improving visibility, reducing high commission fees, and unifying fragmented management systems, aiming to carve a niche in a market dominated by giants like ClassPass.Joining us are co-founders Lee Cheng Yun and Brendan Siew, who will share insights on Katch's inception, its growth, and the strategies they believe will allow them to compete with established industry players.In this conversation, you’ll learn:- Why Lee Cheng Yun and Brendan Siew ventured into the health and fitness sector and the gaps they aim to fill with Katch's innovative solutions.- The evolution of Katch from its early days to its current operations, including how they have tackled initial challenges and plans to sustain growth.- How Katch differentiates itself from competitors like ClassPass through its integration of other technologies such as POS systems, booking management, and more- Katch's business model and how it plans to achieve ambitious targets, including acquiring 400,000 users and hitting RM21 million in revenue by 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pet tech market, according to reports by Research Nester and Global Market Insights, is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 16% from 2023. This growth is driven by increasing pet ownership, technological advancements, and a rising focus on pet health and wellness.Today, we speak with Richard Nilsson, Founder and CEO of MyPetGo. This pet tech platform leverages technology to provide personalised, convenient, and community-driven solutions for pet owners as we find out more about the inception of MyPetGo and the future of pet tech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show, we speak with Seth Casden, CEO & Co-Founder at Hologenix. They’re a material science company that develops products that amplify human potential, including their flagship product CELLIANT.It’s a bio-responsive infrared textile that transforms body heat into full-spectrum infrared energy. Seth founded the company back in 2002 after previously working as a financial analyst and stints in private equity.After raising over $10 million and establishing partnerships with global brands like AEON, Decathlon, Under Armour and Duluth Trading Company, Hologenix was named to the Inc. 5000 of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row back in 2021.With that, Seth will be helping us unpack the origin story of Hologenix, the challenges and hurdles faced by the business and how they have evolved since 2002 as well as the ambitions and opportunities ahead for the business going forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Ian Wong and Kimberly Law, co-founders of Uno Advisers, a financial planning firm with a mission to empower women through personalised financial planning. Founded in 2021 and officially launching in 2023, Uno Advisers says it is taking a fresh, client-focused approach to the traditionally product-pushing financial services industry.Ian and Kimberly share how their backgrounds led them to start Uno Advisers, the challenges they’ve faced in building the business, and why their focus is on supporting women in their financial journeys. They also discuss how they differentiate themselves in a competitive market and their view on the future of financial planning in Malaysia.In this episode, you’ll learn:- How Uno Advisers is trying to fill a gap in Malaysia’s financial planning industry by focusing on holistic, client-first strategies.- The importance of tailoring financial services to women and why they are their target demographic- The challenges of launching a new financial planning firm in a market dominated by larger, more established players.- Insights into Uno’s business model, growth strategy, and the potential future of financial planning in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Co-founded by the twin brothers, Andy Gan and Chris Gan, back in 2014, TWINS Education has earned a reputation for excellence over the years, offering personalised learning experiences for student’s needs. With a focus on International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and A-level tuition. Additionally, TWINS Education also offers IELTS preparation courses, and enrichment programmes such as English primary tuition and French classes.Back in 2021, the business transitioned from Partnership into becoming a Limited Company and since then, the business has passed over 2 million in revenue as of 2023, with ambitions to surpass the 2.5 million mark this year.In today’s conversation, we’re joined by Andy and Chris who will be giving us a sense behind the inception of TWINS Education, the challenges and hurdles they had to overcome as well as their future ambitions for this business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show, we speak with Melly Ling, CEO and Co-Founder of Mole, a local startup that has built an all-in-one networking platform with their very own business card and networking app.They are essentially a networking tool that connects people at events and conferences, with the aim of turning every interaction into lasting insights. To tackle the downsides of networking events, Mole has introduced their very own, Mole card, an attendee's information digital card and an event management platform with the Mole App to be a power tool for event organisers.Mole was founded in June 2022 and having bootstrapped at the start, the platform secured early-stage funding from Antler last year to fund the development of their digital business card and the networking app tailored for SMEs in Malaysia. Since then, the business has grown to new heights and is now looking at expanding their business card platform to other parts of Southeast Asia by next year.On the show today, Melly will be giving us a sense of her journey in the tech world and how that led to the inception of Mole, the challenges she had to overcome with over a decade of experience in digital marketing, copywriting, design, and journalism as well as her long-term ambitions for the business beyond 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.